ADA PACHUCINSKI
Special to The Leader
With the start of the hockey season, the Blue Devils played host to the EHL All-Stars on Friday, Oct. 20 for an exhilarating scrimmage, leading to a 3-2 win in overtime.
The game garnered enthusiastic support from Fredonia’s student body, with significant appearances from the women’s soccer team, women’s lacrosse team and men’s baseball team.
The game began at a steady pace, only to burst into action when Baxter Kimball netted a goal midway through the first period, courtesy of assists from Nicholas Newman and Evan Wammes.
Newman’s experience playing against the EHL All-Stars stirred a wave of nostalgia, transporting him back to the days when he proudly wore the Protec Junior Ducks jersey, competing in the EHL.
“My experience in the EHL was very enjoyable,” he said. “I had a lot of fun playing against good competition and meeting so many new people.”
Junior Assistant Captain Ryan Bailey also put in an unwavering effort during the match, recognizing that, as the first game of the season, it revealed areas where the team needed improvement.
“We did not play our best,” Bailey said. “We could be a lot more physical as well as work on possessing pucks a lot more to make better offensive plays.”
Bailey also played in the EHL before coming to Fredonia.
“I really enjoyed playing in the EHL, it was a fun couple of years and included great competition,” he said.
The game’s second goal was scored by freshman Dylan Schmidt, and assisted by Spencer Quinn and Parker James.
Quinn, who also played his EHL games with the Protec Junior Ducks, said he forged enduring memories in his career while living with teammate Nicholas Newman.
Sophomore Joe Santoro explained that his EHL experience on the New Hampshire Avalanche felt a bit different compared to a regular hockey season.
“It was weird during the season because COVID was at its peak, so there was a lot of change on the fly,” he said.
With these difficulties, numerous opportunities were dealt to Santoro. He was living with teammate Baxter Kimball during his career with Avalanche, and still does during his career here at Fredonia.
“Living with [Kimball] was fun, we became best friends,” Santoro said. “He committed first, which is a huge reason why I committed to Fredonia as well.”
The game reached its end when freshman Xavier Fortin scored the decisive goal in overtime, with the pivotal assist coming from senior Cam Birkeland.
Fredonia Head Coach Jeff Meredith led his team to victory, noticing the differences in levels of play between EHL and SUNYAC.
“The EHL players are younger, even if it is just a year compared to our freshman, but they could be four years younger than our seniors, so obviously the age difference plays a huge role in level of play,” he said. “The college game is different compared to EHL, it is a lot more physical, there is a lot less time to make plays with the puck then there is in junior leagues.”
Coach Meredith and his players said they are very optimistic about the upcoming season, with their next home game at Steele Hall Ice Arena on Friday, Nov. 10.